Gossamer?

Received an interesting book from my younger daughter.  It was a Father’s Day gift.  Said she saw it and it reminded her of me.

It’s a memoir called Mississippi Solo by Eddy L. Harris.  It is, according to the back cover, a true story of a young black man’s quest: to canoe the length of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to New Orleans.

First, I’m not a black man.  Second, I’d never canoe the Mississippi River.  On the other hand, I do enjoy canoeing and I have had many similar grand and crazy ideas.  My daughter knows this as, growing up, she was subject to many of my let’s get in the car and see where the open road takes us weekend adventures. 

Harris’ story is a classic one.  At age thirty, he took stock of his life and reflected on all the young man's dreams that won’t come true.  No climbs up Everest, no try-outs with his favorite baseball team, no great American novel.  No great risks. 

But, then there was this audacious dream of traveling the length of the Mississippi River in a canoe.  It's the mighty river that he grew up next to in St. Louis.

Harris writes, “I’ve never minded looking stupid and I have no fear of failure.  I decided to canoe down the Mississippi River and to find out what I was made of.”

Gossamer?  Damn, I'm only on page two and I’m reaching for the dictionary.  I know,  I should have studied harder in school instead of dreaming.  

Harris continues, “Once they have reached a certain age, dreamers are no longer held in high esteem.  They are ridiculed instead, called looney and lazy, even by their friends.  Especially by their friends.

“Dreams are delicate and made of gossamer (a fine spider silk or a very light, sheer, gauze-like fabric).  They hang lightly on breezes and suspend as if from nothing.  The slightest wind can tear them apart.”

Eddy L. Harris remained undaunted by his family and friends ridicule.  “But this dream of mine, still suspended on the breeze and delicate as ever, was just as real as those flimsy summer spider webs hanging in the air, and just as clinging.  Once the webs attach themselves to you they are hard to get rid of.  And so it was with my desire to take the river.”

So, that’s as far as I’ve gotten into Mississippi Solo.  But it sounds like a wonderful Carpe diem story.  Okay, a peek at Chapter 3:  “A man blessed with a flood of ideas has the luxury to squander them, to sift through his wealth until he finds the right idea for the right occasion . . . When a man has only one great notion, it becomes all the more valuable, a jewel, a prized and noble possession.” 

Thank you LucyAnne for introducing me to Mississippi Solo.  And, Mr. Harris, I’ll see you down the river.  Best wishes.

Carpe diem Life,
David Kuhn